It’s finally Friday. Another week which felt like it was ten days long is coming to an end. There have been a few empty moments in the past few days where some ideas have popped into my mind about what I would normally be doing at that time. Naturally, hockey-related activities and writing for PPP are often involved. Sometimes I laugh thinking about what I do not miss. I thought I would compile a list for today’s FTB.

And, here it is.

Three things I don’t miss

Everyone on the Leafs getting injured

2019-20 was the season of boneitis. Who wasn’t injured this season? Maybe Frederik Gauthier? Did he purchase a cursed monkey’s paw sometime over the summer and make a wish “I won’t be injured this season,” thus causing the monkey’s paw to ensure that while he is fine, every other Leafs player would be injured? Or maybe it’s Carlo Colaiacovo’s boneitis spreading across the airwaves from his morning show gig?

Whatever happened, it’s interesting that now some players who were out for the long term like Andreas Johnsson might somehow have a chance to come back and play again for whatever the league comes up with to finish off this season.

The office Don Cherry

There’s one in every office. He knows that you are a Leafs fan and thinks that alone is an open invitation for him to talk at you about his diagnosis of what’s really wrong with the team whenever he passes by your desk. It will usually involve a rant about William Nylander being Swedish and overpaid. When finished, he will leave without even asking what you think, which is for the better, as if you disagree with anything he says that will result in another rant and a reminder to you that “you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Tom Wilson

I mean, who would miss him? No one. Well, maybe Ryan Reaves.

Three things I do miss

Morning highlight reels

I usually have to start my day quite early. I like to spend a few minutes each morning to see what I missed from the west coast the night before. It’s fun to see clips of how badly the California teams lost, or what kind of craziness happened in Alberta. What better way to start your morning than seeing Zack Kassian get brutally checked?

There’s really much less fun news to start each morning now. Thankfully, we still have the wonderful people like you in the FTB.

Marlies warm-up

This was my fourth year reporting on Marlies games. Things have certainly changed over that time with essentially no players actively in games from the Calder Cup winning team of 2018.

Somewhere along the way I fell into a ritual where I would walk down to the glass and record snippets from the warmup. The players themselves usually have a highly ritualised routine there too, often making the same move every time they step on the ice.

It may seem like a rather insignificant thing to get a 10 second video clip, but I miss the randomness of what I would see on the ice and who would be out there.

The FTB

I mean, the FTB isn’t gone. You are reading it right now. But it’s more fun when there’s actual hockey to talk about, or the bad hockey takes of other sites. Also, condiments. Since you are all here, I don’t miss you, per se, but perhaps it’s a collective feeling for all of us. Don’t worry. It will be over eventually and we’ll be back in the groove soon.

Oh, right. That other thing I miss.

From The Branches